Wine Tasting Tips - With Downloads
Wine Tasting is easy - despite alot making it hard. It is really an enjoyable experience and here are a few documents to really help you enjoy it. Here is a PDF 10 step guide to tasting wine and you can also download a detailed descriptive wine type, tastes, and scientific information in the tasting hints. Download these two documents and the tasting templates to become an expert in no time, or be able to further develop your wine tasting skills.
WINE TASTING AND TIPS
Tasting wine is about finding what you enjoy, your preferences and remembering for later! Here are some steps to take to improve your tasting experience, skills and wine knowledge. You may want to download our tasting sheet to follow through these steps. This is downloadable in the links. Please see this link for a detailed tasking cheat sheet, with wine exmples here
1. Pour the wine.
a. Into a clear glass, about one-third full.
b. Use a stemmed glass to avoid warming the wine with your hand
2. Check for Initial Faults
a. Check for any unusual colour, cloudiness, sediment, bubbles, or mould.
b. Check for any off-putting or unpleasant aromas (unexpected characteristics)
c. Check for any off-flavours or sensations (unexpected characteristics)
d. Check for any aftertaste or mouthfeel (Unexpected characteristics)
e. Contact the retailer or producer and ask for a refund or replacement if faults detected.
3. Observe its colour and clarity.
a. Is it clear or cloudy?
b. Is it pale or deep in colour?
c. What colour is it (e.g., lemon, straw, ruby, garnet, etc.)?
4. Observe the hue of the wine at the rim and the core.
a. Tilt the glass and look at the wine against a white background or a light source.
b. Does it have a different colour at the edge?
c. Is it fading or browning (indicating age)?
5. Swirl the glass gently and observe the “legs” or “tears” that run down the side of the glass.
a. Do they move quickly or slowly?
b. Are they thin or thick?
c. These can indicate the alcohol level, sweetness, or viscosity of the wine.
6. Bring the glass close to your nose and inhale deeply.
a. Try to identify the different types of aromas.
b. Primary (from the grape variety or terroir)
c. Secondary (from the winemaking process)
d. Tertiary (from the ageing process).
7. Swirl the glass again to release more aromas and smell again.
a. Try to assess the intensity, complexity, and quality of the aromas.
b. Are they strong or weak?
c. Are they simple or diverse?
d. Are they pleasant or unpleasant?
8. Take a small sip and swirl it around your mouth.
a. Try to cover all parts of your tongue and palate with the wine.
b. You can also suck some air into your mouth to enhance the flavours.
c. Try to identify sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol, body, flavour intensity, balance, and finish.
d. Try to identify characteristics (See tasting notes details and tasting sheets)
e. Primary (from the grape variety or terroir)
f. Secondary (from the winemaking process)
g. Tertiary (from the ageing process).
9. Length of taste / finish. Is it short or long? Is it smooth or rough? Is it clean or bitter?
10. Draw your conclusions.
a. What have you liked or disliked? How much it should cost?
b. What food it would pair well with it
c. how it compares to other wines you have tasted.
d. You can also rate the wine on a scale of your choice.
e. Write down some notes to remember it later.